Toyota Supra “won’t be cheap” – R&D chief Killmann

Toyota Supra “won’t be cheap” – R&D chief Killmann

The much-awaited Toyota Supra was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in racing form as the GR Supra Racing Concept, which also meant that a road-going, production version has yet to be finalised. In perhaps one of the less surprising revelations about the forthcoming sports car, vice president of research and development at Toyota, Gerald Killmann told Dutch website AutoRAI that the Supra will “not be a cheap car.”

This is due in part to the Supra’s positioning, which will be markedly above that of the 86. “There will be a clear difference between the (86) and the Supra. The (86) remains the affordable sports car, the Supra is the performance model,” Killmann said. Despite their underlying similarities, the Toyota Supra will have completely different styling as well as a very different set of chassis calibrations, he added.

So far, we know that the Supra will get an ideal 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, and will be powered by a turbocharged inline-six engine. However, a manual gearbox is off the cards, and the road car will instead employ a dual-clutch transmission. It will also be ‘very different’ from the Z4 replacement it shares a platform and powertrain with, he said.

In any case, the Supra is mainly developed in Japan, and Toyota’s European R&D centre isn’t quite as involved in the sports car’s development, Killmann noted. “There will be a racing version and if we show the production version, we can tell you more,” the R&D boss quipped. Still a tasty prospect, dear readers?

GALLERY: Toyota GR Racing Supra Concept

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • johnnas on Apr 20, 2018 at 10:50 am

    still a Beemer Z4. Supra it’s not.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
  • Dont worry Killmann-san, nothing is cheap once UMW, our distributor for Toyota and Lexus, touches it.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
    • Toyota Supra “won’t be cheap” – R&D chief Killmann.
      Wahahaha…what a joke…..
      Since when Toyota sell in cheap? Cause in my country UMW sell it as Europe price, like for example C..
      And also like V… product in cheap, but sell in expensive…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Gracke on Apr 20, 2018 at 10:55 am

    In the other words, “Toyota Supra is Expensive”!
    We all know Toyota won’t be cheap now!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • guessonly on Apr 20, 2018 at 10:56 am

    Sure expensive than nissan gtr, but cheaper than toyota ft1.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Too bad on Apr 20, 2018 at 11:08 am

    The BMW Z4 will come with stick shift, if I am not mistaken. That’s because buyers in it’s biggest market- North America- basically demand their sports cars comes with a manual as standard.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • But they already discontinued the manual transmission for the M5 F10. Even other country including Munich not introduced the manual F10 M5.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Too bad on Apr 21, 2018 at 3:20 am

        The M2 and its replacement, the M2 Competition comes with stick shift as standard in USA. Assuming the Z4/Supra will be using the N55 or S55 engine, a manual gearbox is not out of the question. But it will most probably available for NA markets only, not anywhere else.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Apr 20, 2018 at 11:08 am

    thanks captain obvious

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • hahahaha , how much the price tag chief Killmann want to give for this Supra , if more than RM 600k better buy Ferrari

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • “Recond” 1year old GTR was originally sold for more then RM700k when landed in Malaysia.. What do we expect? It’s is not vw golf sport, honda type R nor a new Ferrari that you won’t get for even RM 1 million..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • 12yrsold john on Apr 20, 2018 at 5:14 pm

    Anybody here think that a Supra is going to be CHEAP, think again. Its a Super car for heaven sake. If U still want a CHEAP Supra, there is always a Matchbox size or Toy/remote car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • stastasta on Apr 23, 2018 at 11:59 am

      original supra was never a super car like ferrari or lambo. it had a cheap interior and only 300 bhp. a better term for it would be “giant killer”.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

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